Thursday, March 3, 2016

Creepy details for real-feeling ruins

1. Graffiti: Graffiti is a great way to make a ruin
feel alive. Its presence tells the PC’s that they are not the first to
encounter or explore this location, and that they need to be wary of whatever
recent visitors have left behind. Logic
says that there will be more graffiti near population centers and less if any
in remote areas. Lots of graffiti in a
desolate area should signal to PC’s that someone has taken pains to visit this
location. What made it worth the trip? Graffiti is denser near the ruin’s entrance
and dwindles as the PC’s explore. A
particularly spectacular or evocative room deep in the ruins might be the sight
of a pilgrimage, filled with tags, murals, symbols and messages.

Casual or degenerate cults may use graffiti
to document their presence, usually through poorly-drawn symbols or
iconography. Graffiti can also entice delvers to go deeper, promising
spectacular views or loot. It can also
attempt to ward away the foolhardy, warning explorers of lurking danger.

2. Standing, stagnant, water is always a
problem. It can range from ankle deep to
chest high, even completely drowning sections of the ruin. Water can obscure the floor and hide hazards
such as pitfalls, jagged debris and predators or scavengers. Stagnant water is also a vector for disease. Populate your ruin with blind, diseased aquatic
predators mutated from vermin, biotech or former residents.

3. Former (or current) residents or visitors have
left vehicles for safe passage through the ruins. These might be small boats, a cache of
security passes, hazmat or hard suits, or any other items that will provide
safe passage through the fungual dark. The vehicle might have a map, compass or
GPS on board. It might be moored next to a bit of string leading into the
darkness.

4. Ruins are often piled with accumulated litter. It
can be from the original occupants, from later occupants, or the ruin can have
been used as a dumping site. Garbage can
be difficult terrain, an obstacle to be overcome (rubble to be cleared; debris
to be burned; biomass to be…shooed), a poisonous or diseased hazard, a nasty
(or helpful) creature’s lair, and/or a source of hidden loot.5. Ruined or obsolete technology either found in
the ruins or pictured in the ruin’s archive gives clues to past history or
function of the ruin. Such ancient tech
might provide a source of loot or a discovery by opening a passage, revealing a
view, or opening communication with another site. Dead tech may be the McGuffin
of an adventure. Perhaps the PC’s have seen (or will see) an image or plan of
the tech in its pristine state, but it is now rusty, dusty and possibly
re-purposed.

6. Giant virtual or actual maps of locales as they
appeared at previous time are always fun. some information is valuable; some is
dangerous because of how things have changed since the maps were made. Large maps
can reveal the locations and original functions of other ruins, especially ones
with a related or complementary function.

7. Air becomes thinner, stinky, and stale…or
unexpectedly clean and fresh. Air can be
a toxic or insidious hazard, or simply provide ambiance.

10. Decay,
both of the physical building and the institutions that gave it meaning. Rust,
burnt-out, broken or malfunctioning light fixtures; faded, discolored or
peeling paint; dust--nano and mundane; broken or malfunctioning holo-projectors
or screens; long-dead security measures; doors marked "restricted
access" left open; emptied closets or other evidence of looting or flight.
If these are absent, this indicates some agency (nano-scrubbers, maintenance
automatons, a cargo cult) is keeping the ruin fresh either to continue its
suitability for a defunct purpose or preparing it for a new one.